


canon but alternative universes where kagami and kuroko were never friends

by szczepter



Series: UA: Universe Alternations [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Never Met, Angst, Gen, kagakuroweek2015, seriously just angst, wow go me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 04:36:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4946959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szczepter/pseuds/szczepter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So what if their paths never crossed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	canon but alternative universes where kagami and kuroko were never friends

Tetsuya accepted the sheet of paper from the boy in front of her with a polite nod. Today he didn't freaked out as usual when he turned around to pass her the test. He merely grumbled a 'here' and frowned when she blinked up at him and then nodded with a polite thank you.

She picked a pencil from her pencil case and got to work. It was math, 3rd period and it was already pretty warm despite it being just the middle of April. She finished a problem and stretched a bit. Loud noises caught her attention and she looked through the window.

It was the basketball team.

It was mostly composed of second years, with a few freshmen tailing behind. They were lead by a brown haired girl. She was small, smaller than Tetsuya even, but looked confident. She was talking to a tall boy with glasses. The rest of the team was laughing and shouting.

Tetsuya wondered what made them so happy? Did they had a practice match they won? Were they coming back from lunch? They looked happy and content in each other's presence.

She felt a pang jealousy.

There was no female basketball club in Seirin.

She sometimes got texts from Kise-san and Momoi-san asking if she would transfer to their schools, but Tetsuya didn't want that. That's not why she decided to go to a _different_ school in the first place.

The team lacked a manager, but it wasn't interested in that.

She wanted to _play._

"Oi!" She startled when someone hissed in her ear and looked up to come face to face with an annoyed frown. It was the boy that sat in front of her. His name was Kagami-kun? She wasn't sure what was his first name. She was still a little distracted, and didn't think to make friends with classmates, especially the male ones.

She knew though that the boy was in the basketball club.

Was in past tense. She saw him joining the club last week, and by the end of it, he was resigning. She sometimes saw him at the street court near the maji burger she liked to stop by and get a vanilla shake.

"Oi!" He hissed again and she blinked.

"You dropped this." He said and threw the pencil she was previously holding (she wasn't even aware that she dropped it while she starred out of the window), back on her desk.

She blinked again, but didn't say anything. The boy gave her a brief look and turned around, just in time so that the teacher wouldn't notice.

The boy sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head. She heard him grumble something about 'stupid math and tests and evil teachers." Then she saw him look out of the window and caught a sort of a sad look in his eyes as he followed the last laughing members of the basketball club.

They were indeed loud.

Kagami sighed for the last time and turned back to his test, just as Tetsuya turned the page to get to the other problems.

* * *

 

“What? Seirin has no basketball club?” Alex shrieked into the receiver and Taiga had to pull it away from her ear.

“Loud.” She snapped and Alex chuckled briefly, before sighing.

Alex snorted on the other side and Taiga could practically see her characteristic eye roll.

The girl sighed.

I didn’t say the school didn’t have a club, I said it didn’t have a _girls_ club.

“So?” Alex asked clearly confused about the nature of Taigas problem. “Apply there. You always played better with boys anyway.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Taiga rubbed her temples and shifted to sit cross-legged on the bed. “I can’t do that. This is a school and not the street where the only thing which mattered was whenever you were good and not your dangly bits. You want them to call me a hentai?”

“What’s a hentai?”

“I’m not answering that!”

After Alex calmed down from her giggle fit she spoke again.

“So what? Maybe try starting your own team? Seems like a good opportunity to meet some girls and mingle.”

Taiga scrunched her nose at the implication but chose to ignore it for now.

“You think so? You think I can start a team?”

“Of course you can!” Alex chirped and launched into an overzealous motivational speech while Taiga merely hummed mind already swimming with grand visions of high school basketball fame.

*

Two weeks later when Alex was home alone on a particularly rainy Sunday, Taiga unexpectedly showed up in her doorstep. The girl was drenched, eyes rimmed red and she had a suitcase with her.

Alex blinked at the sight not comprehending until Taiga finally spoke in a hoarse whisper.

“Can I come in?”

When the girl got out of the shower, Alex already had two mugs of tea ready and she was just finishing the pizza order.

They both sat in silence on the couch. Alex had a million questions she wanted to ask but before she could say anything, Taiga set the mug aside and finally spoke.

“I dropped out of school.”

Alex was stunned speechless for a long moment.

“Does your dad know about this?” Taiga frowned.

“No......not yet.”

Alex kept looking at her expectantly.

“Well?”

“I’ll tell him....eventually.”

“What about the team?”

The girl bit her lip and wrought her fingers of her left hand like she wanted to break them. It was a nervous habit formed from her complaining about sucking at left hand coordination.

“The team was a....” She chuckled bitterly. “It was a mistake.” Alex wanted o press her for more details but again Taiga spoke first.

“Can I stay here for a bit? I promise I’ll tell my dad soon I just need some time to think okay? I’ll find some place too, I just need a job. I’ll even go to a night school or something. Please Alex.” She pleaded and Alex knew she should call Taiga’s dad immediately but she was weak to the distressed girl,  especially since she almost never saw her act that way.

“Of course. You’ll stay with me though. No moving out on your own.”

The girl broke in a weak grin so different from her usual sunny one. But it was a smile anyway, and Alex took what she could.

“Alex?”

“Hm?”

“Do you maybe have Tatsuya’s number? It would it be good to call him and patch things up right?”

“Oh...about that.” Alex set her own cup on the coffee table.

“I’m afraid I anf help you. Tatsuya seems to have changed his phone. I can’t reach him either.”

“Oh...”

“Also he went back to Japan.”

“What?”

“Yeah. He went there to school. He texted be before he left. I’m sorry Taiga.”

The girl slumped her shoulders.

“It’s okay.”

“I think his friends still play around here? One of them could have his phone. I think his name is Ricky?”

Taiga nodded dejected. “I know him. I’ll ask tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

They were quiet for a moment. The rain was drumming against the glass of the windows and the TV was now muted. The pizza was late.

Taiga slid down on the couch and thumped her head against Alex’s knees.

“Sorry.” She said weakly. “I’m just really tired.”

Alez sighed and started to gently pet through her messy red hair. It always calmed her down so she hoped it would soothe her a bit this time too.

“I’m sorry.” This time it was Alex who apologized. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

When there was a wetness seep through the cotton of her sweats she was about to ask if Taiga wanted a tissue, but her slightly shaking shoulders stopped her.

So she simply returned to petting the red strands and waiting for their pizza.

* * *

 

Tetsuya heard a soft knock at his door followed by a softer "Honey are you hungry?" spoken in a worried tone.

He felt bad for worrying his mother and wanted to answer that no, he wasn't hungry and he just wanted to rest for a bit more but the words simply wouldn't come out of his mouth.

He looked at the door numbly and for a moment he thought that the doorknob would turn and his mom would enter but there was only a shuffle and then he heard the fading sound of footsteps.

It was 3 days since the team won the championship and 3 days since Tetsuya skipped school.

He didn't bother lying to his family but he wasn't comfortable with telling them the truth either so he just said he didn't feel well but it was nothing serious. 

There was a soft blip in the overall silence of the room and Tetsuya startled. His eyes fell onto the phone, the only source of light at that moment in the room, and reluctantly reached for it after a moment.

The screen showed Momoi-san’s name flashing.

She was calling him again.

He should probably answer the call and reassure her that he was fine, but he really didn’t want to. He didn’t feel like faking his well being at the moment and spilling his guts wasn’t an option either.

He pressed the cancel button and laid back against his pillow, eyes closed and heart heavy. It wasn’t fair, but he didn’t want to hurt her any more than she already was.

Something vibrated through him and Kuroko realized it was the phone he was still holding. Apparently Momoi-san sent him an email this time.

_I’m under your house Tetsu-kun. Can we talk?_

Kuroko shoot up in a sitting position, but before he could panic he heard his mother again.

“Tetsuya? There is a friend to see you. It’s your manager, Momoi-chan.”

Pause. Tetsuya’s heart raced for a moment.

“Would you like me to tell her you’re not feeling well enough to see her?”

“Yes.”

Tetsuya rasped, feeling his throat clog, since it was the first thing he said today. There was another pause and then he could vaguely hear his mother open the door to the house and spoke in a hushed, apologetic tone.

When the door closed again, Tetsuya dragged himself to the window and stood there looking as Momoi-san slowly walked back, shoulders hunched.

She walked a few meters and then stopped, sighed and raised her hand to wipe her face.

She didn’t look back though.

Tetsuya was really good with words and he liked reading, but he couldn’t, for the life of him, describe the aching pain his chest at that moment. The closest he could describe it to was the word ‘empty’, but ‘empty’ shouldn’t hurt like that.

He looked around his room, feeling lost and hopeless. His gaze fell on a basketball. It was his first. He got it from his dad when he was 9 and wanted to start playing because of the match he saw on TV. It was also the same ball that Ogiwara-kun helped him improve with.

Ogiwara-kun didn’t pick up his phone.

Tetsuya scanned his room.

There were posters, shoes, trophies, CDs with matches he copied to study their opponents. He even had a full ‘team’ album on his shelf.

He lived basketball.

And it hurt.

Tetsuya opened the closet and rummaged for a moment through it, finally producing a cardboard box. He busied himself in putting all the basketball related clutter inside. There went: posters, albums, pictures, trophies, CDs, books and DVDs and the ball. His old basketball shoes and his Teiko uniform. He closed the box, taped it and after a moment of hesitation, picked it up and opened the door.

His family stared at him, as he passed the living room and went outside. He set the box near the trashcan instead of dumping it inside, due to the size of the box.

“Tetsuya?” His dad called out from the door and Kuroko looked over his shoulder.

“Yes?”

“What...is inside the box?” He asked tentatively.

Tetsuya just shook his head and headed back to his room.

“Just some old things, I will not need anymore.”

He said and quickly moved past both his mom and his grandmother.

Inside his room, he softly closed the door and slipped under the blanket, shaking silently, despite it not being that cold anymore.

_Just a few more days._

Tetsuya thought frantically, as he muffled his sob with a pillow.

_Just a few more days and then it will be graduation._

* * *

 

“Tatsuya! Tatsuya wait please OI TATSUYA!!!”

Taiga called after the retreating figure and when it was clear that the boy wouldn't stop he jogged up to him and grabbed his shoulder.

“Hey! I'm calling after you like stupid, don't ignore me!”

He spun the other boy around and glared at him for a moment before his expression melted into dejected sadness.

“Tatsuya come on....”

They other boy was silent.

“Come on Tatsuya, say something.”

“What do you want me to say? Congratulations?” The other boy finally spoke.

Taiga sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Actually that, and a handshake would be nice.”

The black haired boy looked at him in disbelief before his face morphed into an angry mask.

“Are you making fun of me Taiga?” 

The boy blinked confused before it downed on him.

“What? No! I am not I mean it!”

There was a tense pause in which they both leveled each other with stares. Himuro with a suspicious one and Taiga with a pleading.

“Please Tatsuya. It's not the end. So what I'd it's my 50th win? Who cares? You're my brother.”

He swallowed feeling tears prickle at his eyes and a lump forming in his throat.

The other boy sighed and shook his head tension visibly leaving his shoulders.

“How can I call myself your older brother now? It's not that simple Taiga. How I am supposed to teach you anything when you have long since surpassed me in everything?”

Taiga shook his head.

“That's what I'm saying. I don't care about that okay?”

He took a step further.

“Look.” He rummaged in his pocket.

“If you don't want to be my brother anymore then that's fine I get it.”

“But.” He paused and finally produced a chain with a ring on it from his pocket. “Don't you think we can be something else too?”

Himuro’s eyes widened when he saw the ring and then he looked back at Kagami.

“Which is?”

Taiga grinned weakly and put the chain with the ring in Himuro’s hand.

“Friends.”

*

“Alex put you up to it, didn't she?”

Taiga choked on his water and sputtered at Himuro’s amused chuckle.

“She didn't put me up to anything!” Kagami snapped and wiped the water of his chin.

“She, uh might have given me a bit of advice.” He admitted cheeks flushing as he screwed the bottle back.

“Did she?” Himuro hummed and then grinned when Taiga threw the bottle at him and missed. 

“Oi! Don't tease me asshole.”

They laughed and then fell into a comfortable silence.

“Hey Taiga?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever think about going back to Japan?”

Taiga blinked.

“Not...really. Why are you asking?”

Tatsuya hummed thoughtfully before he spoke.

“Mom's friend from Japan said that there is a good school that has a basketball program or something.” 

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. I looked them up and they sound good but I don't know.”

“What's it called?”

“Yosen.”

Taiga shook his head.  “Never heard of them.”

“Me neither.” Tetsuya chuckled.

“So....are you considering?”

“Not really. I don't know anyone there and on top of that it's in Akita.”

“A little clearer please. I have no clue where Akita is.” Taiga grumbled.

“In Japan.”

“No shit Sherlock!”

Tatsuya laughed.

“All you need to know is that it's not in Tokyo and it's super cold there.”

Taiga shuddered.

“Yeah no thanks. I prefer my L.A sun and heat wave.”

“Me too.” Tatsuya grinned.

Taiga eyed him curiously.

“So are you going or...?”

“Probably not.” Tatsuya flopped into his stomach on the grassy lawn surrounding the court.

“I like it here. I don't need a change or anything.”

Taiga hummed.

“Hey Tatsuya?”

“Yeah?”

“What if I went to your high school?”

The boy blinked. 

“I mean.” He rubbed his neck. “I might have decided on it already so....”

Tatsuya broke into a grin.

“That'd be cool.”

Taiga blinked and also grinned, bright and sunny.

“Yeah!”

* * *

 

Kuroko opened the door after another loud knock and was promptly assaulted by a body which clung to him in a death vice grip which was probably supposed to resemble a hug.

“Hello Ogiwara-kun.” Kuroko grunted out feeling his ribs being slowly crushed under the grip of his best friend.

“Kurokooooo!” Ogiwara sobbed into his shirt but he didn't sound sad or remorseful as he did a few days ago when he told Tetsuya that his parents would be moving to a different city due to his dad finding a better job.

“Ogiwara-kun?”

Ogiwara looked up at him tears in his eyes and a dopey happy grin on his face.

Tetsuya was confused by the dissonance of emotions.

“What-“

“WERE NOT MOVING KUROKO!!”

Ogiwara shrieked happily and hugged his best friend tighter.

“We're staying! Dad got a promotion here so he said he doesn't need to move anymore! We can go to school together Kuroko! We can play on the same team!”

Ogiwara babbled happily about all the different things they would do as middle schoolers as Tetsuya lead him to the kitchen.

“From the begging Ogiwara-kun.” He asked again when the boy was done downing a glass of milk.

*

“How about this one?”

A colorful leaflet advertising yet another middle school, was thrown in front of Tetsuya’s face.

The boys were picking a school from a batch of leaflets they got from their parents. They were dead set on going to school together this time around since their elementary schools were different.

“It has to have a good basketball club no a _GREAT_ BASKETBALL CLUB!” Ogiwara exclaimed as he looked through a bunch of leaflets and separating them into three different piles

The _maybe pile_

The _nah pile_

And the _definitely no pile_

“And good food!” He added after he examined another brochure and decided on the _maybe pile_ for it.

Kuroko read through his stack of leaflets with a thoughtful hum.

“Food can be secondary Ogiwara-kun. Basketball is my main priority since I want us to be teammates.”

He picked up another glossy piece of paper and paused.

“How about this one?” He passed the leaflet to his friend. It was bright blue and had a giant kanji of TEIKO MIDDLE SCHOOL written on it. 

Shige looked at it for a moment before he shook his head.

“Nah.”

“Why not?”

“Dunno it's just....I just have a bad feeling?” He scratched his chin.  “For some reason.”

“It says here that they have a big basketball club.”

Pause

“Imagine the size of the cafeteria.”

Shige made a face.

“You're not bribing me.”

Kuroko pouted.

“Besides it's a school for rich kids. You're smart you'll get a scholarship.”

“I could tutor you.”

Shige waved a hand.

“No thanks. I'm not that stupid. I'm just not cut out for rich schools.” He wrinkled his nose.

“Aaah I don't knoooow.” He whined and flopped back down on the floor.

“Maybe I'll just ask mom to pick it for me?”

Kuroko sighed.

“You are hopeless Ogiwara-kun.”

Shige laughed.

“Yeah probably. Good thing my best friend is there to help me when I need it.”

Kuroko rolled his eyes but a fond smile graced his lips.

“Kuroko!” Ogiwara abruptly sat up. “Let's go play! I have something I wanna show you!”

The boy sprang up suddenly and grabbed a ball which sat in the corner of Kuroko’s room.

“Come on Kuroko! One on one!” He beamed and ran down the stairs to the genkan to put on his shoes.

Tetsuya stared after his friend for a moment and then quickly stood up. He was still holding the Teiko leaflet in his hand and looked around frantically where to put it. His gaze fell onto the messy pile of leaflets made by Ogiwara.

After a moment he decided to put it there, onto the _nah pile._

He paused for a moment and then nodded feeling that he was making an irreversible decision.

Something big. And something he couldn’t go back from.

“Wait for me please!” He called after his friend, grabbed a jacket and ran out of the room.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, my only fic for kagakuro week go me /slides away. 
> 
> anyway, I wanted to write this for months and uh here it is??


End file.
